The winners of the 2024 Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Medical Student Research Symposium have been announced.
The annual event, hosted by the Office of Medical Student Research Programs on Feb. 2, gives students an opportunity to discuss and deliberate research and accompanying results with fellow students and faculty, and strengthens the message that clinicians can have fulfilling research careers.
All WSU medical students were eligible to submit abstracts on a research project to which they made a significant contribution in their undergraduate or graduate years. This year, students presented 86 posters in five categories: basic science, clinical research, public health and community engagement, medical education and women’s health.
Awards included cash prizes of $300 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place.
Winners included:
Basic Science Studies
First place: Shrila Rajendran, “Fueling Survival: Adipocyte-mediated Modulation of Iron Metabolism and Oxidative Stress Pathways in Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer”
Second place (tie): Tyler Petersen, “Epithelial and Mesenchymal Olfactory Stem Cells Gathered with Minimally-Invasive Micro-brush”
Second place (tie): Samantha Pfiffner, “The Effects of Curcumin on ERα, p53, and p21 in the MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line”
Third place (tie): Chase Morrison, “Are ChatGPT Responses to Urologic Health Inquiries Readable and Supported by American Urological Association Guidelines?”
Third place (tie): Nickolas Vinokurov, “P2Y2 Inhibition Modifies the Anabolic Response to Exercise in Adult Mice”
Clinical Research Studies
First place: Jonathan Lutchka, “Exploring the Effects of Amniotic Bladder Therapy on Female Sexual Dysfunction in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patients”
Second place: Hasan Sawan, “Reduced Venous Blood Oxygen Saturation May Associate with Cognitive Decline in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis”
Third place: Alexander Wind, “Bone Fractures With and Without Sickle Cell Disease in the Pediatric Population”
Public Health and Community Engagement
First place: Ismail Aijazuddin, “Vulnerable Neighborhoods Had Smaller Gains in Health Insurance Coverage During Early Covid-19”
Second place: Alexandra Stone, “Addressing Barriers to Black Americans’ Participation in Clinical Trials: A Faith-based Community Survey”
Third place (tie): Neha Chava, Austin Kim and Jessica Elderkin, “Healthy Hearts: An Interactive Demonstration to Increase Interest in Medicine in Elementary/Middle School Students in/around Detroit”
Third place (tie): Iyanna Peppers, “Integration of a Social Needs Program into an Urban Student-Run Free Clinic”
Medical Education Research
First place: Chelsea Yu, “Assessing Mentor and Coordinator Professional Development in the Context of Medical School Learning Communities”
Women’s Health
First place: Robert Leone, “Exploring the Associations Between Age-related Decline in Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and Physical Activity in the All of Us Research Program”
